time recedes with a fatal drop
by crockettstiddies
Summary: They say that your whole life can change in a minute, and for Sophie Carter? Well, it couldn't be more accurate. She joined the BAU to make something of herself and to feel like she was helping people - because obviously being a doctor didn't do that - but a one minute lapse of judgement on a case in Colorado turns her whole life upside down.
1. city of millionaires

"_From the deepest desires often come the deadliest hate."-Socrates_

"Listen, all I'm saying is that if he'd thought about it for more than a minute he _could_ have gone back and saved them."

"What, and risk ripping New York apart? I don't think so."

"There are ways around it!"

"Oh yeah?"

"The problem was Manhattan in 1938, right? So all he had to do was go to, I don't know, Brooklyn and get a cab over. Or go to Manhattan in 1937 and wait for a few months. There was no need for them to die."

For the last twenty minutes, Reid had been sitting on his desk in the bullpen having a heated discussion with another agent about the logistics of time travel and paradoxes in Doctor Who, while the rest of the BAU looked on in amusement.

"It's like a chipmunk and white noise had a baby." Morgan leaned over to whisper in Garcia's ear, and she responded by promptly shushing him, clearly the only member of the team actually interested in the conversation.

"No, because what happened with Amy and Rory was a fixed point in theirs and the Doctor's respective timelines, independent of the other paradox. They were _destined_ to die in New York in the 1930s. It's just one of the things the Doctor can't fix."

The other agent was the new recruit, Sophie Carter. She'd only joined the BAU a few months earlier but was quickly becoming a welcomed member of the team. At 25, she wasn't much older than Spencer had been when he'd joined, and appeared to be the only other person who could keep up with him. Like Spencer, she had a multitude of degrees, but was also a doctor in the medical sense as well as the academic one.

The team had been quick to notice their similarities; on their first meeting, Rossi had quipped that 'there's two of them!' She didn't hate it, per se, but she _did_ want to be known as something other than the female Reid.

The two were still arguing when Hotch walked in, motioning for the team to join him in the briefing room.

Blake and Garcia stayed where they were, curious as to who would win, while Morgan and Rossi stood up as fast as they could, eager to escape.

"Do they honestly expect us to understand what they're saying?"

"If you film their lips and play it at a quarter speed, I might be able to read them." Rossi chuckled, looking back at the two younger agents.

JJ was already in the room looking through the case file when they entered, while Hotch was trying helplessly to work out how to use the remote for the screen, looking lost without Garcia's technical prowess.

Reid and Sophie arrived a moment later with an overexcited Garcia in tow, and Blake, with a look of regret on her face; despite her love for debates, Doctor Who never ceased to confuse her.

"All right, Garcia, can you-" Hotch held the remote out to her and she gratefully took it, unwilling to watch his futile attempts at working it any longer than necessary.

"Right then my crime-fighting lovelies!" Her cheery voice quickly got the room's attention, and everyone made their way to their seats.

"Today, our taxpayers' money is sending you to Colorado, specifically the City of Millionaires."

She was met with a series of blank faces and was about to continue when Reid spoke up, offering obscure trivia.

"Colorado Springs. It was given its nickname after the discovery of gold on the Pikes Peak mountain in 1858. It was actually the second biggest gold-rush in US history, with over one hundred thousand people participating, and was beaten only by the Californian one a decade earlier."

"I… also knew that." Garcia smiled at him, before resuming her least favourite part of her job.

"So, two weeks ago in Colorado Springs, 27-year-old Anna Wilkinson was reported missing." A picture of a smiling brunette appeared on the screen.

"Three days later her body was found looking like this." Another picture flashed up, this time her corpse, discarded like trash on the edge of a reservoir.

"Her fiance, Joseph Campbell, was their main suspect. He was taken in for questioning almost as soon as they found her, but was released after 48 hours when another woman was reported missing."

A second girl appeared next to Anna on the screen.

"26-year-old Sadie Dawson. She was found only twenty-four hours later, dumped off a trail in Cheyenne Mountain State Park."

Two more pictures came up on the screen; a crime scene photo and a close up of a wound on her arm that turned Garcia's face a sickly shade of green.

"Cause of death: blood loss due to upwards of a dozen knife wounds each."

"Babygirl, could you zoom in on that one for us?" Morgan motioned towards the third picture and Garcia nodded.

"There's nothing I'd love to do more." She grimaced as she enlarged it to take up the whole screen, then promptly looked away.

Nobody said anything as they studied the image, trying to work out why this particular act was different. It was a wide rectangular cut, no more than half an inch in depth, that wrapped all the way around the upper arm. The part that stood out most, however, was the straight, clean-cut lines.

"There are no hesitation marks – this one was deliberate." JJ was the first to speak.

"Yes, but what's the _significance_ of it?" Rossi was still staring at the screen. "You don't make a cut that precise for no reason."

"Actually, I can answer that one, sir." Garcia quickly minimised the picture, before explaining.

"According to her, uh, partner, that's where her tattoo was."

"What was the tattoo?"

"Just a daisy chain, sir."

"So he stabs her to death and cuts her tattoo out. What's that about?"

"I'm not sure, _but_ I can tell you something else." More pictures of the two dead girls appeared, two close-ups from the morgue, side by side with their profiles.

"He cut their hair as well."

Both victims had previously had long brown hair, but in the post-mortem photos, it barely grazed their shoulders.

"What's that? A trophy?" Despite everything she'd seen since joining the BAU, a lot of the acts still repulsed Blake, and the dehumanising nature of the sloppy haircuts meant they fit into this category perfectly.

"They could be surrogates," Sophie spoke up for the first time since her debate with Spencer, pushing her glasses up her nose as she looked around at her colleagues.

"Probably for a wife or girlfriend. That would explain why he cut their hair; he needs to make them look like her." Blake elaborated on the younger agent's suggestion, going quiet as another picture appeared on the screen.

"Sorry to rush you guys but Colorado Springs PD wants you there as soon as possible." Garcia gave an apologetic smile then turned her attention to the girl on the board.

"This is 21-year-old Rachel Doyle, no relation to Ian." _Inappropriate. _

"Sorry. _Anyway_, she was reported missing by her roommate last night when she never came home from the gym. Local PD is still hopeful that she can be found alive as it hasn't been twenty-four hours yet, which is why they're so eager for you to get there. All three files are already on your tablets, and if I hear anything I'll update you straight away, but I think that should be all for now."

Hotch stood up and thanked Garcia. "We should get going. Wheels up in thirty."

* * *

The flight from Quantico to Colorado was 4 hours and 13 minutes, "or 15,180 seconds", as Reid had pointed out, and Sophie was dreading it. It's not that she didn't like flying – she did – but being in such close proximity with her colleagues for that amount of time with nowhere to escape to was overwhelming at the best of times. Today, however, was not the best of times.

Having woken up feeling on edge, when she'd arrived at work she'd found herself almost immediately hiding in the bathroom, practising as many grounding exercises as she could while her thoughts ran away with her. She thought she'd finally got it down to a manageable enough level for her to go out into the bullpen and debate Reid, but the droning sound of the engines once they got on the plane brought it back and left her digging her nails into her palms, trying to find some relief.

She'd purposefully positioned herself towards the back of the plane away from everyone else so as not to irritate them when she inevitably found it more difficult to cope. However, they began their analysis of the case not long after takeoff, and when Blake offered her the seat next to her at the table, she felt obliged to say yes

"Are you okay?" Alex leaned in close, whispering in Sophie's ear.

"Mhm." She nodded, barely acknowledging the woman next to her.

"Sophie. Look at me." She turned her head slightly to the right and gave a weak smile, managing to avoid eye contact the whole time.

"Do you need anything? I've got water in my bag if you want some or-"

"I'm fine." She'd unclenched her fists, but her fingertips were now furiously tapping on the table in front of her in some pattern that only she understood.

Blake was about to object when Hotch spoke up.

"Shall we get started?"

The team took a few moments to go over the files again, then began passing theories and ideas around.

"I mean, he clearly has a type. But why not take women with short hair in the first place?" Blake spoke first, still hung up on the carelessness of the haircuts.

"Maybe he's using it as a form of psychological torture," JJ suggested.

"To humiliate them?"

"Exactly."

"There doesn't seem to be any link between the victims, apart from their looks. Anna was an elementary school teacher, Sadie worked for a local eco-group, and Rachel was a senior at the University of Colorado." Reid rattled off information about the three women, the cogs turning in his brain.

"According to the police reports, they were all abducted from different places. Anna was on her way home from work and Rachel never made it home from the gym," Morgan continued.

"What about Sadie?"

"They're not sure. She was last seen at nine in the morning after she signed in at work, then she left. Apparently, she works at different places all over town, so she could have been taken from anywhere. She was only reported missing when she didn't sign out or go home." Reid responded to Hotch, but ended up leaving the team with even more questions.

Eventually, Rossi spoke up. "There also doesn't seem to be any sexual assault on the victims."

"Maybe he's impotent?"

"Could be. Or maybe he gets all his pleasure from the torture and killing. He doesn't need to rape them."

The group went back and forth while Sophie remained silent, her fingers still tapping. At one point, she noticed Morgan giving her an odd look, but continued regardless; concentrating on the rhythm and movements was the only thing keeping her grounded.

She struggled to keep up with the conversation, nodding when she felt she had to, but she was desperate to join in. Something about the case just felt… off.

"Four victims."

She didn't realise she'd spoken until she felt everyone's eyes on her, waiting for her to continue.

"Uh, there's–the timeline." She could feel the heat rising in her face and she began to choke up.

"What about the timeline, Sophie?" Alex's voice next to her was soft and encouraging, and it calmed her enough for her to finish.

"Not right. A week between, uh, between Sadie and Rachel. I think–I think there's a fourth victim." She stopped tapping while she waited for a response, and instead, with her arms hidden under the table, dragged her nails up and down her left forearm, using just enough pressure to leave bright red welts all over her skin without drawing blood.

"But there haven't been any other missing persons reports since Sadie was found, except for Rachel yesterday." Hotch normally didn't like to object to people's suggestions, but he couldn't see how there would be another victim no one knew about.

"There might not _be _anyone missing her. Hitchhiker, runaway, prostitute. It's unlikely that a high-risk victim like that would be missed." Blake quickly countered his point, sharing Sophie's view that something wasn't right.

Under the table, Sophie was still clawing at her arm, the movements becoming frantic enough for Blake to notice.

Without saying a word, she gently wrapped her hand around Sophie's and moved it away from her arm, holding it down on the seat between them. She wanted to protest, but her fear of attracting the attention of the rest of the team stopped her, so instead she just sat there, hand pressed against the seat, waiting for the discussion to finish so she could move back to the rear of the plane.

It didn't take long for the conversation to dry up after that; they all agreed that there was likely another victim between Sadie and Rachel that local PD didn't know about.

Before they resumed their own activities, everyone was given their own jobs to do. Sophie and Reid were to head straight to the medical examiner, while Blake and Rossi would examine the crime scenes, leaving Hotch, Morgan and JJ to interview the victims' friends and families.

Once they'd been assigned their roles for the day Sophie stood up and walked towards the back, hoping to be left alone. She couldn't – wouldn't – deal with her team today. Not right now. Not like this.

"Is something going on? You seem kind of on edge today." She'd barely sat down when she heard a voice in front of her. Blake.

_Please leave me alone. _"'m fine."

"You don't look fine." The older agent sat down next to her, lightly taking a hold of her left arm, which by now was bright red and blotchy.

"Something caused you to do this. Talk to me. What's happening?"

Sophie pulled her arm away, looking around to make sure no one had seen.

"Too much."

"The noise?"

Sophie nodded. "Okay." She paused to think for a moment. "I've got earplugs in my bag if you want them?"

She nodded again, and Alex leaned down to rummage in the bag at her feet, quickly producing a small plastic packet.

She gratefully took the earplugs and put them in, pulling her hair forward to cover her ears, not wanting the rest of the team to see that she needed them.

_Anything else? _Sensing that Sophie would have difficulty responding to any spoken words, she grabbed a notepad from her bag and scribbled the question on a random sheet of paper.

Sophie shook her head, then motioned for Blake to pass her the paper. _Talk later._ She handed it back to her then took her glasses and curled up in her chair, resting her feet on the edge of the seat.

Meanwhile, Morgan and Reid were at the other end of the plane, making themselves coffee and talking in hushed tones. Almost as soon as Sophie and Alex had left their seats, Morgan had stood up too, driven mad by the younger agent's incessant tapping. Reid, noticing the shift in his mood, had followed him to the coffee station, unsure as to what could be going on.

"She just _wouldn't stop_, man. It was killing me."

Reid frowned at the frustration in his friend's voice.

"You never complain when I do it."

"Yeah but it's different when you do it. Like, c'mon kid."

Spencer's frown deepened. "It's–it's not different." He lowered his voice even further. "You do realise she's autistic too, right?"

Morgan stopped in the middle of pouring his drink and turned slowly to look at Spencer.

"You serious?" Reid nodded, taking a sip from his mug.

"I'm not gonna lie to you dude, I just thought she was weird." He looked over his shoulder at where she was sitting with Blake, oblivious to the look on Reid's face.

"Is that what you thought when you first met me? That I'm just _weird_?"

"No, Re–I'm sorry. That's not what I meant."

"Well, what _did_ you mean?"

"Just that, I don't know, she's a bit eccentric. That's all."

"That's because girls do a better job of hiding it than boys. They tend to 'mask' it more, but it often means people end up thinking that they're just weird."

There was a pointedness to his words, and Morgan knew he probably deserved it. He made another attempt to apologise, but Reid just continued talking, seemingly unaware.

"Did you know that one in forty-two males are diagnosed with autism each year compared to one in a hundred and eighty-nine females? It's thought that this is due to the diagnostic tools being biased towards boys and–" He couldn't help himself from info-dumping, and was disappointed when Morgan cut him off.

"Yeah, okay thanks, Reid." He was still staring at Sophie and Blake, thankful that they were too engrossed in whatever they were talking about to look up at him.

He didn't understand how he hadn't seen it before. He'd known about Reid for years, yet he seemed unable to spot it in anyone else.

"Wait, kid."

"Hm?"

"How did you know? Did you just work it out?"

The corners of Reid's mouth turned up in a smile he was clearly trying to suppress.

"No, actually, uh, I found out when Garcia hacked into her file a week after she joined. She wanted to know where she was from."

"_Reid!_"

"In my defence, I don't think it's _technically_ illegal. At least, Garcia told me it wasn't."

Morgan pinched the bridge of his nose, exasperated. "I'm going to have to have words with her," he muttered to himself.

"Listen, Reid. Do you mind not mentioning this to her?"

"Wasn't planning on it."

"Great. Thanks, man."

The two returned to their seats, drinks in hand, eager to enter their own little worlds before being confronted with the horrors of the case in person. Reid settled down with a copy of _The Neverending Story_ in its original German, leaving Morgan with his coffee and guilt; he _knew_ that Sophie had seen the look he'd given her and wanted to apologise, but had no idea how to do so without making the situation even more uncomfortable. And on top of that, he now had to worry about having offended Reid. Although he'd seemed okay again once they'd sat down, Morgan knew it would be eating away at him for a while until they actually talked about it properly.

They were less than an hour from landing when Garcia called and they were forced to reconvene. Her face came to life on the screen, and it didn't take a profiler to work out that it wasn't good news.

"Hello, my angels. I'm afraid I _don't_ bring glad tidings for you today. I just got word from Colorado Springs PD that they've found Rachel's body in a local cemetery."

Hotch swore under his breath, just loud enough for his phone to pick it up.

"My thoughts exactly, sir. Unfortunately, that isn't everything. There was another body with her, a Jane Doe, and they're trying to identify her as we speak. I've sent the latest info to your tablets."

"Thank you, Garcia."

"You're welcome, sir. PG out."

An uneasiness settled in Sophie's stomach as she slowly registered Garcia's words. She hated the fact that she'd been right, but there was something else bothering her that she couldn't quite put her finger on; all she knew was that this wasn't going to be a good case.


	2. am I a suspect?

The coolness of the air conditioning in the morgue was a welcome break from the sun outside. It had taken less than twenty minutes to drive from the airport, but in the oppressive warmth of the sudden June heatwave, it had felt like forever. Sophie's forehead was glistening by the time they arrived, and even though she'd left her jacket on the backseat she could still feel her t-shirt sticking to her skin.

"Agents?"

"Doctors, actually." Reid flashed his badge. "I'm Dr Reid, and this is Dr Carter."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Dr Myers." The coroner held his hand out towards Spencer, who declined with a quick apology. Sophie remained silent.

"So, what can you tell us about the girls?"

"It's all pretty cut and dry, excuse the pun."

"In what way?"

Dr Myers handed Reid the autopsy notes, and he quickly read over them.

"They all had ketamine in their systems. That must be how he managed to subdue them. Do you know how it got there?"

The two newest bodies were laid out on metal tables in the centre of the room, each covered in a sheet from the armpits down. Dr Myers led the two agents towards Rachel's body, pointing at a small red dot just below her shoulder.

"It looks like he used a 26-gauge needle. It was the same on Sadie, but the other two had had longer to heal before they were killed, so it's difficult to tell."

"Could we be looking at a medical professional as our unsub?"

"I doubt it. The ketamine used wasn't pure medical-grade; if he was a doctor, for example, it's more likely that he'd have taken it straight from whichever medical facility he worked at."

Reid nodded, while Sophie stepped forward to get a closer look at Rachel's body. Like Sadie, she had a precise rectangle cut out of her arm, which Sophie assumed to be the site of a tattoo. While Reid and the coroner talked, she began to put some pieces together in her head.

"What about their wounds?"

"Well, they suffered around a dozen stab wounds each, as well as a number of shallow cuts. They also all had ligature marks around their wrists and ankles, which look to be from a rope."

"And there was no evidence of sexual assault?"

"None." The coroner paused for a minute before remembering something else.

"I'm not sure if I've put it in the report yet but it looks like two different weapons were used on the girls. The main stab wounds and cuts were made with a serrated blade, probably some sort of hunting knife."

He lifted the sheet covering Rachel and pointed a gloved finger at a particularly deep cut on her abdomen.

"Notice how the edges are slightly jagged?"

Reid nodded. "What about the tattoo wounds? I noticed Rachel has one as well."

"They're most likely from a kitchen knife of some sort, or a razor, based on the clean edges and sheer precision of the wounds."

"Am I right in saying that the Jane Doe was killed first?"

"Yes, approximately three days earlier. I haven't been able to ID her yet but I should have it done by this evening."

Behind them, Sophie had moved away from Rachel's body and was now standing awkwardly by the door, wringing her hands together.

Dr Myers leaned in towards Reid. "Listen, I don't wanna seem rude but is she like, retarded or something? She hasn't said a word since you guys arrived, and now look at her."

The coroner's words felt like a punch to the gut for Reid, and he knew that Sophie had heard as well. He looked over to her and noticed that her ears had turned bright red, but apart from that, her expression was unreadable.

"Uh, she's–she's mute. She doesn't speak, but she's a great agent." It was easier to bend the truth slightly than to try and explain it to someone who clearly wouldn't understand.

"I don't think you'll need to worry about the Jane Doe. We'll get our technical analyst to run her dental records." Reid's voice was cold and he was making every effort to try and restrain his anger as he walked towards the door. He gently placed a hand on Sophie's arm, guiding her ahead of him, back to the car.

The drive to the police department was silent, save for the sound of Sophie's heavy, panicked breathing, and Spencer made a mental note to brief Hotch on what had happened.

* * *

The Colorado Springs Police Department was the same as any other the team had visited – worn carpets, the smell of stale coffee hanging in the air, and overhead lights that were just that bit too bright.

When they arrived, Hotch, Morgan and JJ were met with a warm welcome from Chief Linden, then shown to a conference room near the back of the building where a board and tables had already been set up.

Once they were settled, the three agents made their way back out to the bullpen, where they found the victims' friends and relatives sat waiting for them.

Hotch approached Rachel's friend and offered her a drink, before showing her to one of the interview rooms that had been set aside for the team to use. JJ did the same with Sadie's girlfriend, while Morgan had a more difficult time getting through to Anna's fiance. It was over a week since he'd been released from police custody, but it was clear he was still harbouring a grudge.

"Mr Campbell, I understand that you don't want to speak to me or anyone else here, right now. I get it. But we're on the same side as you. We're here to help catch the man that did this to Anna."

He was silent, staring straight ahead of him.

"If you don't want to talk to us, that's fine. But any information you're withholding could be the difference between finding this man and letting him kill again."

Morgan stood to leave, but as soon as his back was turned, Mr Campbell spoke up.

"Okay. I'll do it."

"Thank you."

* * *

"Sir, I'd like to start from the beginning. What do you remember of the day Anna went missing?"

"Please, call me Joe. And I don't remember much. It was just like any other day, to be honest. She called me just after five to tell me she was leaving work and that she'd be home before six. I called her at six, then again at half-past but she never picked up. I think I left it until around seven before calling 911."

"6:54," Morgan read off the notes in front of him. "She worked at Cheyenne Meadows Elementary, right?"

"Yeah."

"Did she ever mention having problems with any parents?"

"Not that I recall."

Morgan nodded.

"Do you know if she did anything on the day that was different from her normal routine? Something like leaving for work at a different time, taking a different route, anything like that?"

"I think that was the day of their field trip. Just before the summer break, she likes to let her kids choose somewhere to go for the day instead of lessons. It's always been a big hit so she does it every year."

"Do you know where they went this year?"

"I think–I think it was the airport. Yeah, it was. She had a bunch of kids who were obsessed with planes, and she promised those that weren't that she'd buy them frozen yoghurt when they were there." Morgan nodded, jotting down what Joe was saying.

"Listen, agent, that's really all I can remember. I'd prefer to just spend some time at home. This has been a lot to deal with."

"Of course, that's understandable. But please, don't hesitate to call us or drop in again if you remember anything else."

"I will. Thank you."

The two men stood up and shook hands, and Morgan made his way back to the bullpen while a detective showed Joe out.

* * *

April, Sadie's girlfriend, was distraught. The words coming out of her mouth were almost intelligible, and JJ was having a hard time getting through to her. She'd tried leaving her in silence, talking gently to her, and anything else that came to mind, but she simply wasn't responding.

In the end, she decided to just continue talking and asking questions in the hope that she'd be able to answer even one of them. At this point, they needed as much information as they could get.

"Her file says that Sadie worked for the Sierra Club, up around Pikes Peak. Is that right?"

April managed a small nod in between heaving breaths.

"What type of work did she do?"

JJ was silent for a few minutes, giving April as much time as she needed to answer her questions.

Eventually, she managed to compose herself enough to give a coherent answer.

"Petitions. She'd–she'd go to different places and try and get people to sign her petitions. She was really good at it." April broke down crying again as the memories of what was taken from her resurfaced.

"I'm sorry, I just–"

"No, it's okay, take as much time as you need."

She took a shaky breath, then continued.

"This one was about saving the rhinos. She just kept going on about them. It was all she ever talked about. She just wanted to _help_."

"She sounds really lovely."

"She is. Was."

"Listen, April, it's really important for you to try and remember where she was working on the day she was taken."

April wiped her face with the back of her hand while she tried to remember; it had been over a week since Sadie was abducted, and on top of that she was trying to navigate her thoughts through a haze of grief.

"She normally worked the library and Memorial Park on Tuesdays, but I think she wanted to try somewhere new."

"Do you know which library?"

"Sand Creek. Sometimes I'd go by and we'd have lunch at the cafe down the road." As the grief rushed back, so did the tears, and she had to take a few moments to collect herself.

"You said she wanted to try somewhere new – did she say where that was?"

"The airport. She thought she'd have more luck there because of how many people go past."

"Do you know if she made it there?"

"She was planning on it," April hesitated before speaking again. "It's almost our anniversary – three years on Saturday. We were going to go out for dinner at this new Italian place that opened up but..." Her voice trailed off as the situation hit her again, and nothing JJ could do would make it better.

* * *

"Sarah, thank you for coming in today."

"It's not a problem." The girl looked seconds away from crying, and Hotch wondered if now was the best time to talk to her.

"Am I–am I a suspect?"

"Should you be?"

"I don't think–no. It's just that I reported her missing, and I was the last one to see her alive and–sorry. I watch a lot of crime shows." She chuckled, trying to stifle a sob, and Hotch simply nodded.

"I just wanted to ask you a few questions about the last time you saw Rachel. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, of course. Anything I can do to help."

"According to the police report, the two of you had lunch together at...Quiznos?"

"It's her favourite place, but she's a bit of a health nut so she only goes before the gym. That way she can 'justify' it."

"I see. What time did you leave the restaurant?"

"At like, half one. Her class starts at two and she liked to get there early."

"Did you see her enter the gym?"

"No, she normally just drives herself there, and I had some errands to run."

The interview continued in this style and ended up taking a lot longer than the other two. By the time they finished, JJ and Morgan had been waiting for Hotch in the bullpen for well over fifteen minutes, and Reid and Carter had just arrived.

The team reconvened in the conference room while they waited for Rossi and Blake, taking it in turns to fill the others in on what they'd found.

Reid was able to give a less-than-concise description of what Dr Myers had found, opting to leave out however, his comments about Carter. This wasn't the time or place to mention it to Hotch, and he didn't want to upset Sophie by reminding her of what happened.

She didn't say a word the whole time, so when Reid was done, JJ took the opportunity to share from her notes the information April had been able to provide.

"Sadie was working all round town when she went missing. Her girlfriend thinks she was most likely at a library or the airport."

At this, Morgan's ears pricked up.

"The airport?"

"Yeah, but she isn't sure."

"I'd bet on it; Anna took her class on a field trip there the day she was taken."

"So that's the link between those two. But what about Rachel? She had lunch with her friend then went to the gym. There was no mention of ever being at the airport."

"Hotch, where did she go for lunch?" Reid questioned.

He scanned over his notes, trying to recount what Sarah had told him.

"Quiznos. Does anyone know where-"

"It's at the airport."

"Are you sure, Reid?"

"Yep. It's between terminals three and five, next to Pizza Hut."

"Okay," Hotch nodded, tight-lipped.

Before he could say anything else, Blake and Rossi arrived, sweaty and uncomfortable.

"It is _not_ supposed to be this hot in Colorado." Rossi pulled a handkerchief out of his suit pocket and used it to wipe his forehead, before taking a seat at the table in the centre of the room and fanning himself dramatically.

"Oh, get over yourself, Dave," Blake teased. "You should try Kansas City in July. Now _that's_ hot."

He gave her a withering look and she chuckled, peeling her jacket off.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Sophie standing away from the others in the corner of the room, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet. Although she seemed to be watching everything, it was obvious that her mind was somewhere else completely.

Once the two were settled, they took it in turns sharing the information they'd gathered at the crime scene, Blake keeping an eye on Sophie the whole time.

As Garcia had pointed out back at Quantico, both Sadie and Anna's bodies had been dumped, and the same was true for Rachel and the Jane Doe. The unsub had made no efforts to conceal the bodies, and he was lucky that it had taken so long for them to be found.

The general consensus throughout the team was that the unsub was likely a psychopath, due to the level of pre-planning and lack of remorse, and that he probably wouldn't stop until he was forced to, or he was able to find the woman his anger was directed at instead of the surrogates.

However, the short time between the abduction and dumping of both Rachel and Sadie proved to have less of an easy explanation.

"It can't be just a coincidence that the two with tattoos were also the ones kept for the shortest amount of time." JJ was the first to mention the link.

"Oh come on. He cuts their hair; he's obviously not looking for an exact replica of whoever these women are substituting. What difference would the tattoo make?" Rossi was more than happy to play devil's advocate, partly because he wasn't sure what was so wrong with the tattoos.

"Hear me out. These women serve a purpose to him, and whatever it is, the tattoos aren't part of it. They must interfere with his fantasy in some way. Even if he removes them, the women are left with a big wound that he _didn't_ want."

"Yes, but he would have seen Sadie's tattoo when he abducted her. So why take her?"

"Maybe he thought it wouldn't be such a big deal to remove it, but later decided that he didn't like how it looked?" Morgan was the first to interject into what was quickly becoming a heated discussion.

"So why take Rachel, knowing she has a tattoo?"

Morgan and JJ were silent as Rossi leaned back in his chair, smirking.

"I think I've got it!" During their conversation, Reid had been studying the crime scene photos, trusting the nagging sensation that something wasn't right.

He pointed to the picture of Rachel's body on the board.

"Look at what she's wearing." Her bloodied figure was still dressed in the clothes she'd been taken in; denim shorts and a pink sweater.

"You can't see her tattoo." Blake was the first to point out the obvious.

"Exactly! Something about these photos has been bugging me since I saw them, and now I know what it is."

He quickly plucked the pictures off the board and placed them on the conference room table so that everyone could see them in more detail.

"There are no rips or cuts in the clothing. I think once he'd taken them wherever it is he goes, he stripped and tied them up, and _then _tortured them."

His voice was slightly too excitable for someone discussing murder, and Hotch gave him a glance telling him to rein it in.

"Okay but Reid, why didn't the coroner mention this to you?"

With that one question, his whole disposition changed.

"Oh, uh - he didn't get - could I talk to you about this somewhere else?"

"Yeah, of course." Hotch looked at him in confusion, worried about what Reid would tell him.

"So," Blake spoke, trying to change the subject. "The blood on the clothes is simply from when he redressed them? Why would he do that?"

At this, everyone came up blank. None of it made sense. But then again, the criminal mind almost never did.

* * *

As Morgan made his way across the crowded bullpen, the Chief caught his eye and waved him over.

"Agent, sorry to bother you but there's a slight issue outside with your doctor."

"No, of course. What's wrong?"

"We've had a few complaints from citizens about someone outside, pacing up and down and talking to themselves. I know it's probably nothing, but for some reason, people always assume it's drugs, and I feel like you'd be better at dealing with the situation than my men would be."

"Sure. Thanks for letting me know."

He dumped the file he was carrying on a nearby desk then rushed out to the front of the building. Last time he'd seen Reid, he'd been working on the geo-profile and everything had seemed fine. However, he knew how quickly things could take a turn, and guessed that maybe he'd just missed the signs earlier.

The heat hit him as soon as he passed through the double doors, and for a moment he forgot what he was out there for.

It took him a couple of seconds for his eyes to adjust to the bright sunshine, and when they did he was confused to see that there was no sign of Reid.

He was about to turn and go back inside when he noticed movement next to one of the pillars. Maybe that was him?

"Rei-"

Pacing up and down from one pillar to the next was Sophie, wringing her hands and muttering to herself, almost oblivious to Morgan's presence.

"Hey, Carter. You good?"

She continued pacing, not even looking up to acknowledge him.

He stepped closer, trying to get her attention without any physical contact.

"...which lies on the ventral aspect of the neural tube and reaches from the anterior end of the mid-brain to the extremity of the tail. On the other side of it is–"

She was still talking to herself, reciting something from a medical textbook, and as Morgan got nearer she looked up at him with tear-filled eyes, silently begging him to stay away.

He'd seen this before with Reid and knew what to do to help him, but he also knew that not everything that worked for him would work for Sophie.

"Okay, Sophie, you don't have to say anything but I'm going to speak, if that's okay?"

She didn't respond, but he'd learnt from Reid that if she wanted to disagree she'd _definitely_ show it.

"I'm gonna be honest. I don't really know what I can do to help you right now, but I also don't want to leave you here in this state, so I'm going to call Blake, okay?"

Sophie managed a small nod as Morgan pulled his phone out. Within two minutes Blake had joined them and Morgan was having a hushed conversation with her, telling her what was going on.

"Hey, Sophie. Do you wanna go somewhere?"

When Morgan saw that Blake had it under control he made his way back into the police station and found himself face-to-face with a serious-looking Reid, Hotch a few feet behind.

"Hey. Pretty Boy. What's up?"

He glanced across the room at Hotch, who was now leaning on a desk with his phone pressed against his ear, talking quietly enough so that no one else could hear. Going by the look on his face, whoever was on the other end was not going to have an easy time.

"What did you need to talk to Hotch about?"

"Sophie. Something happened at the morgue and… it, uh, wasn't good."

"Is she okay? I just found her pacing up and down outside, wouldn't say a word."

Reid sighed. "I don't know. She wasn't great this morning and Dr Myers probably just made it worse."

"Who's-"

"The coroner. She wasn't speaking and he asked if she was retarded. I think Hotch is on the phone to him now."

Morgan's eyes darkened, and they both turned to look at Hotch. By now, he'd moved into the conference room so he could yell down the phone without disturbing anyone.

"I don't know about him, but I'm about ready to go down and make sure that the next time he leaves that morgue is in a body bag."

"I think he's gonna want that by the time Hotch is done with him."

Morgan smirked at Reid's comment and the two of them resumed what they'd been doing earlier, Reid the geographic profile and Morgan trying to find somewhere to make coffee.

* * *

The drive to the hotel was long and quiet, and Blake was relieved when they finally arrived. She led Sophie up to their room, making sure to draw the curtains to block out the bright, afternoon sun.

Without even thinking, Sophie rummaged through her go-bag for her pyjamas and got changed in the middle of the room, too tired and stressed to care if Alex saw anything.

"Are you sure you want to go to bed this early?"

Sophie nodded, desperate for her to stop speaking.

_Quiet_, she signed.

_OK_. Since her first sensory overload at work, the two of them had worked out that signing was often the best way to communicate, and Alex mentally scolded herself for forgetting.

Sophie lay down on top of the bed, the heat preventing her from getting under the covers, and Alex typed out a quick text to Hotch.

_Staying with SC until she falls asleep. Ask Derek to fill you in. AB_

It wasn't long before the sound of Sophie's heavy, sleepy breathing filled the room, and Alex felt comfortable enough to leave her.

As she opened the door, she turned back to look at Sophie and smiled at the sight of her sprawled out on the mattress, finally looking relaxed. She was like a different person compared to earlier, and Alex was proud of her for making it this far in the day.


End file.
